Caracterización hidrogeoquímica del macizo de Betancuria. Fuerteventura, Archipiélago de Canarias

Resum

The island of Fuerteventura es placed in the eastern limit of the Canarian Archipelago, only 100 km far from the African Continent. It has a relatively smooth topographic relief when compared to the other islands of the Archipelago. This and the closeness to the Sahara coast explain the dominantly arid climate. The study area is in the central part of the Island and comprises a large part of the Massif of Betancuria and the Central Depression. Following the distribution of the most important geological and hydrogeological Units, the study area has been divided in two main subareas: a western subarea formed by volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Basal Complex (Upper Cretaceous-Lower Miocene) and an eastern subarea formed by lavas of the Gran Tarajal Edifice (Miocene) and volcanic deposits (Pleistocene-Holocene) which form the Malpais (badlands). In the western subarea groundwaters are characterised by an increasing salinity with depth. Thus, it is possible to differentiate an Upper Unit, containing waters of lower electrical conductivity (2.5 to 5.5 mS/cm) and temperatures between 18 and 25ºC, and a Lower Unit, with groundwaters with a higher electrical conductivity (5.5 to 24 mS/cm) and temperatures between 25 and 30ºC. Groundwaters from the Upper Unit are of the sodium-chloride type with generally a moderate alkalinity and low sulphate and silica contents. Nitrate contents of these waters varies from point to point, but in most cases an anthropic component is suspected, which is associated to farming activities. The more saline groundwaters of the Lower Unit are of the sodium-chloride-sulphate type, except for some one which is more diluted as a consequence of the mixture of waters from the Upper and Lower Units inside the boreholes. The high salinity of groundwater from the Upper Unit is mainly the result of the island's climatic aridity, and locally to point effects of excess irigation water. From the hydrochemical modelling carried out with the code PHREEQC it is deduced that climatic aridity produces an intense evaporation concentration of rainfall. To a lesser extent there is a contribution due to rock-water interaction, which corresponds mostly to plagioclase weathering. However, the more saline waters in the Lower Unit have to be explained by means of other salinity origins. From the interpretation of the rCl/rBr ratio, the study of water isotopes (180 and deuterium), the most important ionic ratios and chemical modelling, the salinity can be linked to the admixture with sea water. This sea water seem to be relict and it is found in the intrusive rocks of the Basal Complex. The smaller permeability of the intrusive units may explain the presence of seawater above present sea level, as remnants of moments in which the ocean was relatively at a higher elevation. These waters also present high sulphate contents. The sulphate has a different origin, which is associated to the dissolution of sulphates of igneous origin. Groundwaters of a lower salinity found in the eastern subarea represent recharge water and also have a marked sodium-chloride composition, with ionic ratios which are closer to those of precipitation. Generally the ionic rations of these waters are closer to those of rainfall than the samples from the Upper Unit. This is explained by the faster turnover time and low solubility of the materials of the Malpais recent lavas. By integrating the piezometric study, the interpretation of water chemical and isotopic analyses, the analysis of temperature and electrical conductivity borehole logs, and the interpretation of underground distribution of geological units, a conceptual model of the aquifer hydrogeological functioning has been established, which explains reasonably well the results commented above.